Course pre-requisites
Applicants for Access to Higher Education Diplomas must be aged 19 years old or over at enrolment and will require a minimum of Level 2 Maths and English. This means you will need GCSE English at Grade A*-C (9-4) or equivalent (Level 2 Functional Skills) and GCSE Maths at Grade A*-C (9-4) or equivalent (Level 2 Functional Skills).
Some Universities will only accept GCSEs to meet entry requirements. They will also require you to have additional GCSEs at Grade A*-C (9-4) for some courses, and depending on the specific entry requirements of your chosen University programme you may also need Grade C (4) or above for GCSE Science for some pathways.
Minimum age restriction
As Access to Higher Education Diplomas are designed to support students to progress to university who have substantial experience of life outside of formal education which they have gained since completing compulsory schooling, applicants must be aged 19 or over at enrolment.
As this is a distance learning course there are additional eligibility criteria:
| To be eligible to undertake this distance learning course you must meet the below requirements: |
| You must be aged 19 years or over as at 31/08/23 |
| You must have lived in the EU for the last three years |
| You must reside in England with a postcode outside of London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City, Cambridge & Peterborough, Tees Valley, and the West Midlands. |
| You must not be on another funded programme i.e. an apprenticeship or another distance learning or online course |
| You must not have completed this course or a similar course previously |
| You must not be on another distance learning course with another training provider |
Additional Requirements
- As the course is fully online you must have strong ICT skills to enable you to cope with the demands of the course.
- You will also need to have your own laptop.
Post-Application
You will be required to attend an interview. At interview please bring in the email correspondence you have had with the universities you are intending to apply to, providing such information as the required GCSE Maths and English/Level 2 qualifications. Please note that many degree courses have a GCSE Maths and/or English and/or Science requirement for courses, although some will be satisfied with a level 2 Functional Skills in these subjects. It is therefore important that you contact your chosen universities and ask about their specific GCSE requirements and bring this information to your interview. It is not possible to study GCSE qualifications alongside an Access diploma.
University Entry Criteria
Access to Higher Education Diplomas fulfil the entry criteria for range of different university courses and are suitable for the UCAS application process, however it must be reiterated that each university will set its own admission criteria.
When searching for a university course, you’ll find the entry requirements include a minimum number of UCAS points. This will often be 112 UCAS points, although this will vary from course to course, however most universities seem to accept that 112 UCAS points are the standard for the average UK student. Universities will also assess their candidates on many different factors as part of their criteria.
Admission criteria may include, but is not limited to:
- Having a set number of credits attained at Merit or Distinction level
- Attending a face-to-face interview at your chosen university
- Passing literacy and numeracy assessments
- Successful completion of work placements or work experience
You must check with your desired institution if your Access to HE Diploma and other qualifications will be accepted.
It is your responsibility to check that your Access to HE Diploma will be accepted as part of these entry requirements for your chosen degree. Colchester Institute will not be held accountable if completing this Access to Higher Education Diploma doesn’t secure you a position with a higher education institution.
